January 31st-A WONDERFUL Month Raw!!!

As I ended this day at less than 900 calories I got to thinking about the anxiety I feel around calories. We are so enamored of "experts" in our society- experts with their scientific methods and their data crunching and their numbers. My dependence on these experts to resolve my weight problem began when I was a kid. At first I thought the diet books of Atkins, Pritikin or Scarsdale would have the answers I needed. I remember Atkins' diets giving me the most terrible hunger headaches, and then reading in his book that there is no such thing as a hunger headache- that they were in my imagination! He was the expert, I thought. But his diet was starving me and I was getting those terrible hunger headaches...! That can mess with the mind of a 14 year old who already feels less-than for being overweight. That book really helped to make me feel guilty about failing my first real diet.

No weight loss plan dealt with the problems I was having with maintaining any weight loss. I believed that the "scientists" and experts behind Dexatrim or SlimFast or Metabolife could help, but I failed on those plans. I thought the experts at TOPS or Weight Watchers could help, but again I could never maintain any weight loss. Surely the lab-coated (what a joke!) intake people at NutriSystem could help! But all I got from that was dizziness and light-headedness from severe drops in my blood pressure. Another failure. Despite all the expertise out there, I couldn't stop the compulsive eating and bingeing, so I decided it was my fault and pretty much gave up. It took such a Herculean effort to lose weight after awhile that I didn't bother to start anymore.

Anyway, this thinking came about because of my mulling over the whole "I'm going to listen to my own body" thing. It's not so amazing, based on my history, that this decision brings up a lot of anxiety for me. I've never learned to trust my own instincts or to even believe I had any when it comes to eating. I've always either turned to experts or I've used their tactics to help me- calorie counting, fat tracking, measuring my food on a scale or in measuring cups. It's the scientific method all the time! I've brought that method with me to the raw food experience and have reached a crossroads. Because I don't have the compulsive desire to overeat, I'm simply not overeating. It's not because I know how many calories I've eaten or how much food weighs or how much fat was in my meal. However, because I know nothing else but those old scientific methods of losing weight, I find myself trying to quantify everything even when it appears I no longer need to.

When I saw I'd eaten less than 900 calories I was conflicted. I'm not hungry! I realized that the conflict is an internal/external one (I know I won't explain this very well right now- maybe I'll verbalize it better when it's not MIDNIGHT!!). I hesistate to trust my internal instincts so I go for the external indicators like caloric intake to tell me when I've had enough. I think that method is better in the SAD world (for me, at least), because in the SAD way of eating, I do need some sort of external method to keep myself from overeating. But eating raw, my mind doesn't crave food anymore. If I go by calorie count, I would eat even though I'm not hungry.

I guess this means I'll have to stop counting calories in order to take this to the next level of learning to read and trust my internal signals. That's gonna be really hard!! I will probably start doing this by recording my food in sparkpeople.com as I always do, but not looking at the calories (this is possible because the calories appear at the bottom and I don't have to look there). But what about how I prepare my foods? I've been weighing and measuring like fiend!! I should probably stop that, too. My daily tally should probably just say something like LUNCH: "hummus, taboule and avocado sandwich on Ezekiel bread". But if I do that, I can't use sparkpeople because the whole purpose of using them is to count calories, etc. For now I'll probably measure, and then purhaps that habit will fade away.

So that's the project I want to embark upon now. It is now February 1st, so it's as good a time as any to start! You may have noticed that I tend to gain insights rather suddenly and try new things as I go along, who knows how long I'll do exactly this? But I believe I have "organically" (so to speak) evolved to this level as I continue on my odyssey. Let's see if it works for me.

Sorry if I rambled on too long! I've listed my foods below, along with the calories since I'd already noted them for the day. I must say that it is after midnight now and I'm actually a little hungry, finally. But I'm going to bed!


BREAKFAST (Sandwich)
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 28 grams
Avocados, California (Haas), 42 grams
Orange Juice, 1 cup
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1 serving
One 'n' Only Pure Essense Labs Superior Tonic Multiple Vitamin, 1 serving

LUNCH
None

DINNER Salad
Spinach, fresh, 3 cup
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 1 plum tomato
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 ear, medium (6-3/4" to 7-1/2" long) yields
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.2 fruit without skin and seeds
Lime Juice, 1 fl oz
Blue Cheese, 0.5 oz

SNACKS
Gopal's Nori Wrapped Power Wrap (Mexican), 1 serving
Apples, dried, 28 grams
Banana Chips, 0.4 oz
CALORIES 870 CARBS 127 FAT 32 PROTEIN 28

January 30th- Almost a full month raw!!!

I took a Lärabar and a bag of mixed nuts and banana chips to school. The bar, which is raw, was tasty enough. It had the consistency of a chewey brownie. However, I felt like I was eating a treat rather than a meal. The nut mix was nice and my dehydrated bananas I added were a tasty touch! I will be dehydrating more apples and bananas tonight but I do have to take notice that dried fruit can be bad for my teeth as it can stick to your teeth for hours. I made sure to drink water to help get the fruit out of my mouth.


I see that I managed to have over 1300 calories due to the fact that I ate most of my meals before 4 pm. I was hungry by the time I got home this evening but my small dinner satisfied me fully.

More thank-yous to all who are sending me encouragement, advice and information! Amy mentioned the study that suggests that humans would live longer and healthier if they consumed fewer than the standard recommended calories per day. I remember those studies and hadn't thought about it until she said that. I'll have to go back and re-read them. (Not that I'm planning on counting calories again, but it's a very interesting topic and certainly apropos).

Tomorrow being the 31st, I'll be tallying my results for my first month raw. Already I have a pair of pants that fit me differently. (Note that I didn't say they actually fit - just that they fit me differently. Haha!!)

TODAY'S MEALS
BREAKFAST
Spinach, fresh, 41 grams
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 1 plum tomato
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 ear, medium (6-3/4" to 7-1/2" long) yields
Avocados, California (Haas), 28 grams
Lime Juice, 1 fl oz
Blue Cheese, 1 oz
Orange Juice, 1 cup
Banana, fresh, 1 medium

LUNCH
Whole Foods Raw Nuts/Seeds Mix, .2 cup
Goji Berries, dried 1/2 oz.
Banana Chips,1/2 oz

DINNER
Avocados, California (Haas), 78 grams
Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 3 oz
Tomatoes 1
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

SNACKS
Lärabar Chocolate Coconut Chew

CALORIES 1,358 CARBS 168 FAT 82 PROTEIN 42

January 29- 29 days eating raw foods

Dangnabbit I can't get enough calories! When left to my own devices I seem to eat close to or even below 1000 calories. All my life I've been told and have read that a woman should not eat fewer than 1,200 calories or else bad things would happen- her metabolism would slow down, she'd feel weak and tired, etc. On the other hand, a raw food forum I visit tells me to stop counting calories altogether and just eat what satisfies me, even if it's only 900 calories a day. This whole experience is starting to bring back the bad food memories I've always had! So I've made a decision based on the following: Everything single thing I eat is nutritious. I don't drink anything but freshly-made fruit juices and water. I take in no refined sugar or flour. I'm not eating any of those unpronounceable chemicals they put in processed foods (although I'm getting pesticides whenever I don't eat organic fruits and vegetables). My salt intake is WAY lower than its ever been before. I drink at least 6 oz of water a day. I take a vitamin almost daily.

Therefore: If I eat below 1000 calories and I'm satisfied, then that's what it's going to be for that day. If I'm full at 900 calories, maybe I just don't need anything else. This odyssey is all about me learning for myself what I need, so I'm gonna stop listening to all the "experts" and be my own expert. If I get weak and tired then I'll tweak things. If I stop losing weight then I'll tweak things again. If I get hungry or my blood pressure goes up or I faint, I'll tweak some more! In fact, I'll go one better and see a doctor for blood tests so I can have official blood pressure and cholesterol measurements (and whatever else I can afford!) and then I'll test things again in a few months. This will be a good project for me. I'm always waiting for experts to tell me what to do and then I feel bad when I fail or I don't understand things. But there is so much conflicting information regarding raw foods that I might as well learn to trust myself. My own body will tell me what works and what doesn't.

The smoothie that's mentioned below was very tasty, but I only made it to bring myself over 1000 calories. I won't be doing that anymore.

BREAKFAST Sandwich
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Spinach leaves
Avocados 2 oz
Fresh OJ 1 cup
One 'n' Only Pure Essense Labs Superior Tonic Multiple Vitamin 1
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1

LUNCH Salad
1 oz raw blue cheese
Fresh Spinach leaves
1 plum tomato
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 ear, medium
Avocados, California 1 oz


DINNER
Flax Seed Crisps, (My approximation of Living Bread)
Hummus, 28 grams
Taboule Salad, 2 tbsp

SNACKS (Smoothie)
Raspberries, 1/4 cup
1/4 Mango
Banana, fresh, 1 medium
Raw Cacao Nibs 1/2 oz (Really didn't do much for the smoothie because I simply ground them into smaller pieces (niblets!)
Water

CALORIES 1,298 CARBS 170 FAT 56 PROTEIN 44

Are You Raw Foodists Getting Your Complete Proteins? (update)

One of the most common questions asked of a raw foodist is "where do you get your protein?" Although the only person who's ever asked me that is my mother, I figured I'd post some protein information for other newbies to the raw food lifestyle so you can tell your own mothers (and other relatives, friends and acquaintances) that yes, you can get complete proteins without eating meats or dairy. I got this from a nutrition guide at the university bookstore. This is one of those guides they provide to people majoring in nutrition or food science. I would encourage people to pick up this kind of information as well, just as a reference guide.

Complete proteins are considered high quality for humans because they contain all of the essential amino acids. They are easily digestible. Foods in this list include

Eggs

Milk

Cheese

Poultry

Fish

Now, for those of us who eschew meat and dairy, where should we look? Plant proteins are considered complementary proteins because not only can we not get all of our essential amino acids from one plant, we'd have to eat a lot more plants per serving than meat or dairy to get the same amount of protein. However, by combining complementary proteins, you can create a meal containing all of the essential amino acids- a complete protein meal.

Here are foods belonging to the complementary protein category:

Grains

Legumes

Nuts

Seeds

Vegetables

You basically combine foods from this list that "compliment" one another to form complete proteins. You therefore don't have to have a complementary protein along with meat or dairy. My nutrition guide says you can combine:

Vegetables with legumes, plus either nuts or seeds

Vegetables, grains and legumes

Grains and legumes

Nuts, seeds and legumes

Grains and legumes

The guide says that the protein requirements (Recommended Daily Allowance) in grams is only .8 g of protein per kg body weight per day for people aged 19 and up. (I hate it when measurements are done using the metric system!) I invite someone to do the math if you are willing. There are also charts on the internet that you can use to calculate daily grams of protein per day.

I never really thought about how I can combine plant proteins. All I remembered was that old adage about beans and rice making a complete protein. I never would have considered vegetables plus nuts, for example, as fulfilling a complete protein requirement. I'll be sending this post to my mother posthaste!

I hope this information was helpful to others.

-Allison

UPDATE, Jan. 29, 2006
I received an excellent comment from someone who states that the above information is outdated and inaccurate because 1) it's been discovered that plants have all of the essential amino acids humans need and require no combining and 2) raw plant protein is better utilized by the body and therefore less protein is needed than is traditionally recommended. (If you click on the "comments" link below this post you can read the entire entry).

Unfortunately, protein is one of the controversies faced by the raw food/vegan/vegetarian community. What I printed above is certainly not considered outdated by all people -indeed, this information can be found on recent entries at medical sites like WebMD, and is still widely published and taught. So here is another area where raw foodists just have to decide for themselves what they want to do: go with traditional advice or believe that this advice has been proven false. You'll find ardent supporters on both sides of the table. Personally, I'll be doing a lot more reading and investigating before I consider the old information outdated, but I am always open to learning.

Thanks again for the input.

Your Favorite Raw "Uncook" Books

OK, I have put together a list of books and favorite recipes that I've been told about thus far. This is in no particular order. Please feel free to add to this list. If you have a favorite recipe from the book you can add that, too.

Raw: The Uncook Book, by Juliano

The Raw Gourmet, by Nomi Shannon

Sent in by Tommie: Instant Raw Sensations by Frederic Patenaude
Tommie is into the 8-1-1 style of raw eating (maybe Tommie and others who are doing 811 can write in about that) and says that Patenaude's book comes the closest to that style.
Favorite recipe: "Best Non-Fat Mango Dressing". Tommie says "It is really yummy if you can get a really good mango and a really good tomato. I make it with lime juice instead of vinegar. I could eat it as a soup instead of using it for dressing. It's that good! When I got the book, I also got a booklet that Frederic put together called The Best Foods on the Planet. It has been an invaluable tool to teach me how many calories, etc., that I need as a raw foodist"

Amber also says she likes the book Instant Raw Sensations. "I love many of the recipes, especially the smoothies".

Amber also recommends Green for Life, by Victoria Boutenko, saying, "I think it is the best raw food book I have ever read. EVER. After reading around 100 nutrition and raw food books, I think this one is the most important."

SqueakyClean recommends Nourishing Traditions, even though it is not a raw book. However, Squeaky made a great carrot, pineapple raisin salad from that book: "I grate about 4-5 carrots, finely chop about 2 cups of fresh ripe pineapple, add around 1/2 cup organic raisins, and about 1/2 cup or a little more of a dressing I make by mixing 2 tsp. dijon mustard, 1 Tbl. raw apple cider vinegar, then stirring and gradually adding about 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil. Mix all. Refrigerate at least one hour, then toss again and eat. YUM. Will last a day or two in the refrigerator."

Ren recommends several books: Complete Book of Raw Food; Recipes from God's Garden by Rhonda Malkmus; and a book by Rhio - I think she might be referring to Hooked on Raw (please correct me if I'm wrong, Ren).

I bought Raw: The Uncook Book the other day. It is full of beautiful photographs. I wil be looking at the books you all recommend as well. Ren suggests going to the library for uncook books, which is a good idea.

Thanks everyone, and keep the suggestions coming!

Weekly Summary for Week Four on Raw

NOTES

I cut down on hummus and saw an immediate improvement in that pesky intestinal problem I've been dealing with. I'm sad because I really like hummus! But I feel better without its side effects.

I ate more fats than I planned this this week

I visited a great raw food restaurant and found raw nori and nama shoyu, plus "bread" that really is raw.

I got a bunch of culinary toys: a blender, a citrus juicer, a spiral slicer, a digital scale and a dehydrator. I love all of them, but I still want to eat as many whole, fresh foods as possible. The dehydrator while help me with school because it'll be nice to take dried fruits with me. I will also start making smoothies with the blender.

Although I haven't experienced what people call detox, don't feel closer to nature or more spiritual, and don't have any new "electric" feelings inside me from going raw, I can say that my depressive mood has lifted.

A Word about Depression
If any of you has ever been depressed, you might have had experiences like mine. I created something like a groove in my brain - this worn down path I kept automatically treading that was full of negative thoughts and imagery. I used to think about death- my own, my loved ones... I would think up all sorts of sad and terrible things that could happen to me. I imagined failing at school or on the job. I had my "favorite" little depression fantasies that I'd go over again and again before I went to sleep at night and in the morning when I woke up. Those negative thoughts went around and around and I was used to them and thought they were normal. (When I met with a therapist I learned otherwise).

Interestingly, since going raw, I notice that thinking those old thoughts no longer give me any of that - I don't know the word... comfort? That "comfortable" feeling you get when you go over the same thoughts over and over. They might be sad thoughts, but they are YOUR thoughts and you're used to them. But lately I find it more difficult to think those old thoughts. They don't do much for me anymore. This past week I actually made the effort to sustain my negative thinking and I couldn't do it- it felt foreign! All I can say is that it seems that my depression has lifted and that when my mind tries to drift back to that negative thinking, it finds no satisfaction because those thoughts are not needed any longer. If "needed" is the right word. Does anyone know what I mean? Not being depressed opens my mind up to new possibilities, like maybe I will reach my weight and fitness goals! Maybe I will succeed this time! Hey, maybe that's a form of detox- I'm detoxing my mind!! Without medication!

Here is the summary for this week:

NUTRIENTS

Fat ranges from............ approx 45 to 85 grams

Protein...........................approx 35 to 55 gms

Calcium.........................approx 0% to 800% RDA

Magnesium....................approx 39% to 165% RDA

Folate............................approx25% to 175% RDA

Carbs............................approx 100g to 220g

Cholesterol....................approx 0 mg to 60 mg

Potassium.....................approx 1000 mg to 4000 mg

Calories.........................887 to 1589

B12 ...............................5.83% to 100%

Iron...............................approx 0% to 200%

Water.............................average= 5 glasses a day.

WEIGHT LOSS

STARTED WEEK AT: 323

ENDED WEEK AT: 316

TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 25 lbs.

January 28--Almost the End of My First Month Raw!

Well, today wraps up the last full week of January. Tomorrow is my weigh-in and the posting of the results of my first month raw.

Today I ate my dehydration experiments for dinner. I chopped up the mango and some of the banana I dried and mixed them with almost 1/4 cup of the raw mixed nuts/seeds I recently bought from Whole Feeds. The fruit pieces really weren't as dry as I wanted them to be, but the dehydrator ran from midnight until about 9:30 pm and I was tired of waiting. I think it took so long because I left in the solid tray that you use for making fruit rollups, which apparently prevents the warm air from circulating as much. I also had the temperature set to only about 100 degrees, so that will cause a longer drying time as well. The fruits tasted great, though. The bananas were like candy! The mangos were awesome- chewy and a bit leather-like. I'd already eaten the apple I dried and that was great, too. Didn't give me a stomach ache, either.

I got a crazy idea to put fresh, raw sweet corn into the nut/fruit mix. I added a little sea salt and then ate this bizarre meal while watching a movie. It wasn't bad, but I can't say the corn complimented the mix much. It was also difficult to eat without making a mess. The reason I added corn was because I wanted to add calories without adding fat. As you will see, this was another too-low-calorie day, but this whole week has been higher in fat than I had planned. This is because I've eaten more nuts and avocados, and also because of the stuff from the raw restaurant. We'll see how the fat affects my weight loss results tomorrow morning - but since I've already lost over 20 lbs this month I really can't be upset if I haven't lost anything this week!

Here are today's meals:

BREAKFAST(salad)
Spinach, fresh, 1 oz
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 ear, medium
Avocados, California (Haas), 1/4
Blue Cheese, 1 oz
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

LUNCH
Hummus, 1 oz (Since cutting down on the hummus that -ahem- intestinal problem has gone away!)
Taboule Salad, 2 tbsp
Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 3 oz (my approximation of Living Bread)

DINNER
Dried Mangos, 2 oz
Banana Chips, 0.5 oz
Whole Foods Raw Nuts/Seeds Mix, 0.2 cup
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 ear, medium

SNACK
1 Apple, dehydrated sliced

CALORIES 1,152 CARBS 156 FAT 63 PROTEIN 36

See you tomorrow!!!!

January 27, 27 Days Raw

Today's image is the pizza from the raw restaurant. Isn't it beautiful? It was as tasty as it looks. My menu was difficult to tally nutritionally because I don't know what the Living Bread was made from. I could call the restaurant and ask for specific ingredients, I suppose. I tend to overestimate amounts to be on the safe side, so my counts might be too high today. I also substituted Ezekiel bread and Ezekiel bagel for the Living Bread). Since everything I ate and drank (except for water) had fat in it, I likely have a high number of fat grams for the day.

My main supporter through my raw odyssey, who has already done so much for me, shocked me today with two more gifts: an American Harvester F50 dehydrator (!!!) and a digital food scale. (You veterans may laugh at the food scale, but I've wanted one so I can for once and for all figure out how much I'm really eating). I'm so excited about the dehydrator that I probably won't go to bed tonight until I start a few projects in it. I can't wait to see what'll be waiting for me in the morning. This dehydrator is low tech; someone told me you can buy it for $40 at Walmart. My girlfriend got this at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It may be low tech, but it's perfect for me.


There is a temperature control knob that starts at 95 degrees, so I should be able to dehydrate at the temperature required for it to qualify as raw. Everything will be trial and error. Tonight I plan to do a tray of banana pieces, an apple and a mango. I suspect that the moisture of the mango will slow everything down, but I've got nothing but time. I also have some grapes- how can I not attempt to try to make raisins? I can't wait to take pictures of the results. If any of you have dehydrators, what method did you choose to keep the fruits from turning black? Or do you care if they turn black? And what vegetables do you dehydrate?

OK, here are today's meals. Like I said, you can't really take the calories, protein, etc. too seriously today. The vitamin at the bottom is what I bought today at the restaurant.

"BRUNCH" (I skipped breakfast on purpose so I could eat what I wanted at the restaurant).
Guacamole, 8 tbsp
Collards, 1 oz
Hummus, 2 tbsp
Banana, fresh, 1 large
Tahini, 2 tbsp
Dates, 1 date
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Bagel, 0.5 serving

DINNER (Mexicali Pizza from the raw restaurant)
Guacamole, 8 tbsp
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 3
Hummus, 2 tbsp
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 0.5 cup
One 'n' Only Pure Essense Labs Superior Tonic Multiple Vitamin, 1

CALORIES CARBS: 1,497 FAT: 85 PROTEIN: 39 CARBS: 166

My First Visit to a Raw Restaurant

Today was great!!! I feel rejuvenated and reinvigorated. My visit to a raw restaurant has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of raw eating. First, the food itself was eye-opening. Second, the fact that I could eat ANYTHING in this restaurant was just awesome to me. There has never been a restaurant where I felt I could eat anything on the menu and not suffer some nutritional or dietary (as in ruin-your-diet) consequence. And the books, foods and equipment they sold made me so happy- like I'm not lost in the woods anymore. I felt like I was around "my" people, people who understand what I'm doing. They had the elusive Nama Shoyu, nori actually labeled "raw", cookbooks and health tomes to keep you busy for weeks, vitamins, etc. This is a small place that operates as both a restaurant and a juice bar. It's very plain looking, but there are little terra cotta wheatgrass pots on each table, a brightly colored wall, and plates with large, brightly colored designs on which the (also brightly colored) food is served.




The meals are expensive. The smoothie I ordered (banana, carob, tahini and date) cost over $5. We (you know I didn't go alone!) ordered the Chef's Plate so that we could try a variety of things. Our plate included: Bruschetta - I'm not sure if that was hummus or tahini on the "Living Bread", but it was topped with a deliciously herbed and spiced chopped tomato topping. Mexcali Toast, which is also on "Living Bread" and is topped with guacamole, tomatoes and some hummus. There were two small Mexicali Wraps, which had the same ingredients as the Toast but were each wrapped in a collard leaf instead of sitting on bread. There as also a dollop of hummus and some flaxseed crackers. The hummus was good but neither of us like cumin very much, and that's the main spice we tasted in it. The "bread" is made of sprouted grains and was rather thick, so it was chewy-- a nice compliment to the toppings, I thought, plus it allowed me to really chew and enjoy the meal.

My smoothie had an obvious tahini taste that initially put me off, but by the second sip I barely tasted it! It was a grayish/brownish color. Not pretty, but tasty. They use water as their base liquid, not the yogurt or milk I'm used to putting into smoothies. It was nice to know that I can achieve the right consistency with the ingredients they used. I will definitely try making smoothies at home with some confidence now.

They have a store, so naturally I spent some more money. I bought the spiral slicer, which I'm excited about. I like being creative when I cook, so it'll be fun to have different vegetable and fruit shapes. It isn't a Saladacco brand, but it seems to be just fine. I tested it on an apple and produced some of the longest apple "tubes" I've ever seen. They looked like silly string! Very attractive- I can see putting that on some dark spinach leaves and garnishing it with some nutmeg and a lime slice or something.



I bought my first cookbook, but since I'm going to make an Uncookbook post, I'll leave out the name of it until then. I've gotten some great input on cookbooks and will probably buy several. I also bought vitamins (that was on a whim- a really nice woman who was eating there (hi, Minnie!!) told us about the vitamins and I decided to buy them on the spot.) I bought the nori, the nama shoyu, and some raw vegan bars: the Larabar and two protein wraps. I figured I'll try them in school next week. I'll probably eat those kinds of foods very infrequently.

I have no idea how many calories I consumed, so my meal tally for today will be totally estimated. I understand that many raw foodists who produce cookbooks or put recipes online are affronted by the idea of posting their caloric and nutritional content because they are so healthy that there is no reason to be concerned about such things, in their opinion. I don't agree with that attitude. We all come to raw eating for our own reasons, and we immerse ourselves into it in our own ways. Knowing the nutritional content of my foods is important to me as a newbie to raw eating and does not take away from the enjoyment of a good meal. In the future, after I've lost a lot of this excess weight, I'll probably learn to eat simply by "listening" to my body, but that isn't the case right now.

I think the reason I left the restaurant feeling so good was that the raw food thing feels even more real and supported now. When you get all your support from the internet, there is a tinge of surreality to the experience. But actually eating at a raw food store and talking face-to-face with people who eat that way really "grounds" the experience in some way. I probably am not explaining myself well, but what I'm saying is that I feel like this is the right thing for me, and having access to a business that caters to this way of eating gives me an emotional boost.

Today gets a thumbs up!!

January 26th - 26 days Raw!

I did something people usually say is bad- I skipped breakfast! I didn't do it on purpose. I just got so busy that I didn't have time to eat. I made a quick sandwich to eat before I left for school, and packed the nut snacks and carrots to eat if I got hungry later. I was a bit hungry but not overwhelmingly so by late afternoon. At home I thought I'd make up for the lost calories with a big salad- especially since I decided to try raw blue cheese on it. I still didn't get all my calories! I was going to add nuts or avocado to the salad but decided my fat grams were high enough for the day. I'm really not hungry enough to eat anything else, so this will have to do. I have to laugh at the fact that I don't want to eat more. Before going raw, I'd have been THRILLED to find that I hadn't eaten enough and believe me, I would have found it in me somehow to bring those calories up!

LUNCH
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams


DINNER (SALAD)
Blue Cheese, 2.5 oz
Spinach, fresh, 3 cup
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 1 plum tomato
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 ear, medium
Cucumber 1/3 medium

SNACKS
Baby Carrots, raw, 5 medium
Almonds, 8 almond
Cashew Nuts, dry roasted, 3 tbsp
Walnuts, 0.5 oz (14 halves)
Goji Berries, dried (Himalania), 0.5 oz

CALORIES 1,161 CARBS 107 FAT 67 PROTEIN 48

Jan. 25th, 25 Days Raw

Today was a better food day. I had my lovely Ezekiel bread sandwich for breakfast. At the university I ate 8 oz. of taboule for lunch, and then I ate my mixed nuts/goji berries snack. I got my water in today by buying a liter bottle at a vending machine. Later, during a class, I munched on some baby carrots (thanks for the suggestion, Amy!) but I had so many notes to take that I only got through about three of them. I wasn't at all hungry, though, so it was ok.

For dinner I made myself a salad. Now, I have generally avoided salads because they seem boring without dressing. Besides, I relate them to my SAD days of trying to lose weight. You know- you're on a diet, so when you and your friends go to a restaurant, you have to order the salad while they get to have pizza and other goodies! Now that I'm eating raw, though, salads will become a welcome addition to my menu. I took another page from Amy's book and squeezed some lime juice on it. It was great! The sweet corn I bought was really sweet and had that extra fresh "crunch".

My friend Pam, who is a nurse, thought my calories should be a bit higher so that my metabolism doesn't slow down and so that I don't lose more than 2 lbs a week. I love losing more than 2 lbs a week, though. I want this extra weight off NOW! However, since I want to ensure I get enough fuel and nutrients, I was pleased that I made it to over 1,500 today. I've read that on a raw diet (and I mean diet in the original sense of "the food we eat") weight loss is different than on a SAD diet, and that I don't need to worry about calorie restriction. I guess I'll see about that over time.

Oh- I got a juicer today! My girlfriend decided to surprise me with it. It's electric. I juiced a large orange and a mango (the mango was tricky). It was DELICIOUS. I can now officially wring all the juice out of an orange rather than wasting it trying to squeeze an orange by hand. I set the juicer for "high pulp" so that I'd still get the fiber. I chose to eat the mango pulp with a spoon though. It was like eating pudding, really.

TODAY'S MEALS

Breakfast
Mangos, 1 fruit without refuse
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

Lunch
Taboule Salad, 8 tbsp
Almonds, 8 almond
Cashew Nuts, dry roasted, 2 tbsp
Walnuts, 0.33 oz (14 halves)
Goji Berries, dried (Himalania), 1 oz

Dinner
Spinach, fresh, 3 cup
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 1 plum tomato
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 ear, medium
Cucumber (peeled), 0.33 large
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.2 fruit without skin and seeds
Lime Juice, 1 fl oz
Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Scallions, raw, 0.5 cup,
Mangos, 1 fruit
Orange Juice, 4 fl oz
Centrum with Lycopene
Nature Made Calcium Citrate

SNACKS
Baby Carrots, raw, 5 medium



CALORIES 1,531 CARBS 220 FAT 64 PROTEIN 42

It Takes a While to Lose 200 lbs.

There's that scale again.

Tomorrow I'm going to be eating with some other students at the cafeteria and I realized that this will be my first time eating this way in public. Based on past experience I expect people to say, "are you on a diet?" (Yo- there's a Fat Girl On A Diet!!!) Well, no, I'm not on a diet, but I know it'll look that way. Now that I'm back "outside" I'm also back to reliving how painful it is to be overweight in public I imagine everyone's looking at me with a critical eye as I squeeze into little desk/chair combinations, huff and puff as I rush from class to another class, and wear clothes that don't look all that great because they're all I can find (and afford) in my size- these are all things that remind me that no matter how well I'm doing on raw, I've got a looooooong way to go and that I don't look the way I want to look. Yesterday I had to stand in line holding heavy books - do you believe my arm was weak for about an hour after that? I've never been so out of shape. Even when I weighed 250 lbs I used to play racquetball, and that was only a few short years ago! I used to dance for hours straight, long after my skinny friends tired out. But I'm now in the worst shape of my life as well as being at the age where people die from their lifetime of poor fitness and eating habits. I often fear that I might have a heart attack, even though I'm pretty "healthy" for a person of my weight and fitness level.

Oprah once had a guy on her show who had been so overweight that his legs were bowed from holding him up. He had many health problems. Finally, he lost the excess weight. He looked and felt great. I think he was in his 40s (I could be wrong). When he was on her show he was all smiles. But later, before he really got to enjoy his life as a thinner person, he died from complications related to history of excess weight. I felt so bad for him! But I don't see his story as a "might as well not bother" tale; instead, it reminds me to do what I can now and try to enjoy the life I do have. Losing this weight is a slow process, but I am alive, I have a family who loves me, some great friends, and goals I'm reaching for. I can't stop now!

Jan. 24, Day 24 on Raw Foods

Today was not the greatest day for me. I found out one of my classes was cancelled so I had to scramble and add a new class. Of course I've already missed the first meeting, so I have A LOT of reading and catching up to do. In fact, I have a lot of catching up to do in all my classes because I wasn't able to buy any books until today. I spent most of the day buying books and supplies, trying to figure out what I've missed in my classes, and feeling tired and frustrated.

Although I had a normal breakfast, I only took a banana and nuts to school with me. But I wasn't even hungry when I ate them around 5 pm. Maybe it's stress- or maybe I just didn't need to eat. I didn't drink a thing between 1pm and 10 pm because I was too busy to buy a bottle of water.

When I got home late tonight I was too tired to eat, so I just ate an entire container of taboule (8 oz), went to work on the blog, and next I'm going to BED. I've had hardly any calories today but I'm feeling stuffed from the taboule. I'll just have water at my bedside tonight.


I should note that my intestinal problems continue. I really think it's the hummus. I hate to cut out the hummus without something to replace it with. Sigh....

Thanks to everyone who has provided nut info! I'm eager to buy nuts that are unshelled during my next shopping trip. OH- I got the blender!! I'll write about that tomorrow.

TODAY'S MEAGER MEALS

BREAKFAST
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp
Avocados, California (Haas), 2 oz
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 1 tbsp

LUNCH
None

DINNER
Taboule Salad, 8 tbsp

SNACK
Banana, fresh, 1 large
Walnuts, 0.75 oz
Raisins, 1 small box (1.5 oz)
Cashew Nuts 1 tbsp
Almonds, 5 a
CALORIES 887 CARBS 125 FAT 34 PROTEIN 24

Jan. 23, Day 23 - Today I Tried 3 Kinds of Raw Nuts

Well, my meager funds have finally arrived! I didn't really have time to shop so I just bought some nuts today at Wild Oats. Their selection of raw nuts is much wider than Whole Foods (but they didn't carry the nama shoyu I was hoping to find). I bought raw walnuts, raw almonds and raw cashews. I know the controversy over whether these nuts are truly raw and frankly, all the contradictions and differing definitions among raw foodists are becoming very annoying to me. I'm really happy that it's not necessary to me to be 100% raw! That way if I discover later that something I'm liking isn't raw I won't have a hissy fit over it. It's not like something has no nutrients at all just because it isn't raw.

The raw almonds were a bit softer than I thought they'd be, but they were fine (I'm not a big almond fan). The walnuts tasted and looked the same as all walnuts I've seen. The raw cashews were very pale and naked-looking. I was afraid I'd be disappointed by their taste but they were nice- a tad sweet and buttery. They'll make a good pate when I get that blender this week! By the way, if anyone knows what kind of nuts those are in the photograph above, would you tell me? I would have bought a few but I figured I'd better find out what they are first. In fact, there are a couple of other nut photos in this blog. If anyone can identify those, too, I'd be grateful! I take these photos when I'm at the store, but the bins aren't always labeled.

Today was my first day of classes where I was satisfied with what I took with me. I took a hummus sandwich, a banana and a 1.5 oz. box of raisins, plus 16 oz. of water. The raisins were the only things I didn't eat. The meal/snack sustained me quite well. I wasn't starving when I ate it and I wasn't starving for hours afterwards. I ate in an open location so the garlic and banana aromas didn't annoy anyone! Now that I have nuts I will made a nuts/raisins/goji berries mix. (Note to Ren: should I try cacao nibs in the mix??)

For dinner I made sushi and tried soaked quinoa rather than soaked bulgar. BIG MISTAKE. It even SMELLED bad to me! Quinoa is very high in calories, I learned (after the fact, of course). I was shocked! It appears to be a good source of protein, too. I've listed the calories below in the dinner category. Maybe if I find a recipe for quinoa I'll buy more. For now, it's goes with the jicama, cacao nibs and cauliflower as Foods I Don't Like.

Oh- speaking of cacao nibs, my girlfriend ground up a few and mixed them in with her coffee grounds. That was my idea, I'll have you know. She said she got a nice hint of chocolate, but that she'd have to add a lot more to make it truly influential. Unfortunately, she doesn't think it's worth 9.99 to add mocha flavor to her coffee. Oh, well, I'm getting the blender and will see what I can do with the nibs. (That sounds funny- "the nibs").

Before I sign off- thanks to those who have been replying with cacao ideas and uncookbook info at either blog site. Now that I have money I'm really ready to buy a book!


BREAKFAST
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 leaf
Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp
Centrum with Lycopene, 1
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1

LUNCH (I took this sandwich to school and ate it during a break)
Taboule Salad, 3 tbsp
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 leaf

DINNER (SUSHI)
Sushi Nori, Raw Untoasted, 1 sheet, 4
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.7 fruit
Cucumber (peeled), 3 stick (4" long)
Baby Carrots, raw, 1 medium
Quinoa, 0.2 cup ------> This had 127 calories for less than 1/4 cup!!
Soy Sauce, 0.33 tbsp
Spinach, fresh, 15 leaf

SNACKS
Walnuts, 0.5 oz
Cashew Nuts .5 oz
Almonds, 3
Mango
Banana, fresh, 1 large I ate this at school during a break
CALORIES 1,589 CARBS 213 FAT 66 PROTEIN 54

Day 22 Raw- The Beginning of Week 4

No amazing meals today. I did make sushi again using a sort of guacamole to spread on the nori. The end result tasted good but the guacamole made the nori too moist. At the end of the day I was short on protein and calories so I made an open-face hummus/taboule sandwich. That did the trick!

TODAY'S FOODS

BREAKFAST
Banana, fresh, 1 cup, mashed
Grapes, 1 cup, seedless
Mangos, 1 fruit without refuse
Tangerine Juice, 4 fl oz
Centrum with Lycopene, 1 serving
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1 serving

LUNCH
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

DINNER
SUSHI!
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.75 fruit without skin and seeds
Kikkoman Lite Soy Sauce, 1 tbsp
Nori, 2.5g sheet, untoasted, 2 serving
Scallions, raw, 2 small
Garlic, 1 clove

SNACK
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 1 sliceserving
Hummus, 2 tbs

Calories 1,345 Carb 215 Fat 45 Protein 35

Calling All Raw Foodists: I'm Looking for a Good Uncookbook!

I'm looking for a good uncook book and am asking for your input.

If anybody out there has a preference for a particular uncook book, I'd love to know which book it is and why you like it. Why did you buy that particular uncook book? What is your favorite recipe? If I get enough responses I'd like to compile your comments into uncook book review. I will credit you with your review using the name or nickname you provide in your comment. (This blog is located at two different sites, but all comments will be compiled and the resulting post mirrored at both locations).

I look forward to finding out what books you're looking at!

Weekly Summary: Week Three

Good results this week!

NUTRIENTS

-Fat ranges from………… 28 to 56 grams

-Protein………………………28 to 41 gms

-Calcium……………………14% to 1,545% RDA (high percentages are due to vitamins)

-Magnesium……………….38% to 107% RDA

-Folate…………………….. 30% to 97% RDA

-Carbs……………………….152g to 216g

-Cholesterol………………..0mg (No cheese!!)

-Potassium………………….1,281mg to 3,270mg (This is low, even with the Centrum

-Calories…………………….1203 to 1508

-B12 ………………………….0% to 100% (0% is due to no animal products. When I take Centrum, I'm at 100%)

-Iron………………………….31% to 150% I only get enough when I take Centrum

-Fiber...............................36g to 50g My Sparkpeople chart tells me this is too much. My intestines would tend to agree!

-Vitamin C........................I get enough regardless of whether I take a Centrum

-Vitamin E........................I don't get enough if I don't take a vitamin

-Vitamin D.......................I get more than enough on vitamin days, not enough without the Centrum

-Zinc................................I get enough only with the Centrum.

WEIGHT LOSS

STARTED WEEK AT: 323 ENDED WEEK AT: 319

TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 22

CHANGES NOTICED THIS WEEK

My back still hurts terribly in the morning, but it wasn't quite as bad this week as last week.

I don't think my eyes watered at all this week, but I still sneeze occasionally in the mornings.

My tongue hasn't hurt ONCE since I started eating raw!

My lowgrade morning headaches have greatly abated, especially this past week.

I find that I'm not drinking my 8 glasses of water a day. I've read that there is so much liquid contained in the foods we eat on a raw diet that I don't need 8 glasses, but I will still strive to drink at least 6 per day. It is difficult, though.

This week I've adjusted to eating fruit in the morning, but the lower calories have caused me to end the day below my 1,200 calorie minimum. Maybe I'll get some nuts to increase my caloric intake.

Apples appear to give me a stomach ache.

FOODS CONSUMED
The same as last week, plus

nori (seaweed)

portabello mushroom

raw cacao nibs (which I'm still VERY undecided about)

CONCLUSION

I believe my weightloss picked up because I've lowered my overall caloric intake. Last week I lost two pounds eating more per day. I definitely don't plan on eating less than 1,200 to 1,300 calories per day.

I'm concerned about getting enough vitamins and minerals from foods. I cannot fault a raw lifestyle for not providing me with my vitamins and minerals because I really haven't taken enough time to investigate which foods would be good sources of these nutrients (although I've concluded that my B12 needs will only be satisfied by a multivitamin).

I'm still suffering from low-grade diarrhea, which is getting tiresome. I'm not sure how to tackle that, since plant foods naturally have a lot of fiber. I hope I don't just have to get used to it. I should probably go a day or so with no hummus and see what happens, but at the moment, I can't imagine a day without my hummus! That tells you how varied my menu is- not very.

I had a rough time when I was running low on funds and groceries, which caused me to eat the same exact foods for every meal. However, I still love taboule and hummus and bought more of it. The hummus is still not raw, but when I get my blender I will try sprouting some garbanzo beans and seeing if I can make my own, just to try it.

My next goal is to increase the variety of foods in my menu. It's harder than I thought. To that end I am looking to buy an raw cookbook (also called "Uncook Books").


HAVE A HEALTHY DAY, EVERYONE!!

Jan 21, Day 21 eating raw!

I just ate my first homemade sushi since starting my new raw life! I've made it before, but with rice, of course. This time I decided to try it with the items I've been using in my mostly-raw diet. I soaked bulgar and used that for rice. I used untoasted Nori sheets (probably not raw but I couldn't find any labeled "raw"). I added scallions, some portabello mushroom, avocado and carrot, along with a few cilantro sprigs. I didn't have any equipment so I just rolled it up the best I could and sliced it with a wet, serrated knife. I made three rolls altogether. Then I realized I'd jumped the gun, not having purchased the nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) yet. My sushi tasted all right, but I really wanted to taste it with soy sauce, so I used about 1/2 tablespoon of "lite" soy sauce that I already had, pouring it into the middle of my plate and dipping the individual pieces into it. it was pretty good, actually!

Now, I must admit that my stomach hurt for about 1/2 hour afterwards. I'm not sure if I just ate too much or if one or more of the items didn't agree with me. I'm very happy to have had a different meal with a new taste! I love hummus and taboule, but this woman cannot live on those alone. My meals for the day so far are listed below.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in and I'm so excited! I remember all weigh-ins in the past as being so full of anxiety. I was always ready to blame myself for any weight gain- I ate too much of this or I shouldn't have eaten that. I don't feel that way these days. If I gain weight or don't lose a pound, I can accept it as something my body is just doing right now. I don't feel the need to judge the event as good or bad. (Of course it's easy to say that having lost almost 20 lbs in less than a month. Let's see if the old feelings of blame and self-torture come back if weeks go by with no weight loss!)

TODAY'S MEALS

BREAKFAST
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1
Centrum with Lycopene, 1
Banana, fresh, 1 large
Grapes, 1 cup, seedless
Mangos, 1
Orange Juice, 4 fl oz (fresh squeezed, of course!)

LUNCH
3 Nori sheets, untoasted
Bulgar ½ c
Scallions, raw, 2 medium
Cucumber (peeled), 2 stick (4" long)
Baby Carrots, raw, .75 mediu
Avocados, California (Haas) ½
Portobello Mushroom, 1 oz.
Kikkoman Lite Soy Sauce, ½ tbsp

DINNER
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2
Hummus ¼ c
Taboule Salad, 8 tbsp
Spinach, fresh, 5 leaf

SNACK
1 mango

Calories 1,203 Carbs 217 Fat 28 Protein 33

I'm noticing that because I need less hummus and taboule to feel satisifed, and because I'm limiting my avocados, I'm having problems getting much over 1,300 calories a day. Sometimes I eat late in the evening just to get over 1,200. In my SAD days, 1,200 was the recommended number of calories for weight loss. All I can do is assume that it's still calories in vs. calories out, regardless of the source of calories, which should mean that 1,200 calories should work out fine for an eventual average of no more than 2 lbs a week weight loss. But I won't be upset if I lose more quickly than that!

January 20th - My 20th Day on Raw Foods

I went grocery shopping with a little extra money. I decided to buy more hummus and taboule (can't help it!) but I did buy spinach greens instead of lettuce, and I stocked up on bananas, mangos and oranges. My real shopping trip isn't until next week. I still haven't decided what I'll buy.



BREAKFAST

Avocados, California (Haas), 0.2

Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 1 cup

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 8 tbsp

Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp



LUNCH

Avocados, California (Haas), 0.25 fruit without skin and
seeds

Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 1 cup

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 8 tbsp

Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp



DINNER

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving

Hummus, 0.25 cup

Avocados, California (Haas), 0.25 fruit without skin and
seeds

Spinach, fresh, 0.25 cup

Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp



SNACKS

Raw Cacao Nibs (Nature's First Law), 0.5 oz

Mangos, 1



Calories 1,282 carbs 153 Fat 54 (the fat grams have been creeping up!) protein 41

Raw Cacao, Anyone?

I've been reading about the amazing, beneficial properties of raw cacao, so I decided to check out this "superfood" myself. According to people who eat raw cacao, they feel more alert, have more energy, and in general feel happy. Promoters of raw cacao (such as David Wolfe, a nutritionist well known and respected by raw foodists, and Nature's First Law, which sells raw foods) claim that raw cacao is amazingly healthy because it is high in magnesium, has chemicals which promote a feeling of happiness, and reduces appetite. It is the "raw" aspect that really draws raw foodists and which attracted my attention. I wondered what this stuff tasted like, so I went out the Whole Foods Market and bought an 8 oz. bag of Nature's First Law "Certified Organic Raw Chocolate (Raw Cacao Nibs)" for the extreme price of $9.99 (the same price it is sold for online at Nature's First Law). This was the only raw cacao I could find in the store.

TASTE TEST
Upon opening the bag, a strong, not unpleasant chocolately aroma wafts out. My girlfriend and I both think it smells like a mocha-flavored coffee as it's roasting at Starbucks or someplace. I looked at the nutritional information and was quite surprised to see no mention of the huge amounts of magnesium that is supposed to be present in raw cacao. I did notice that there are 11 grams of fat in one ounce (4 of them saturated). The other listed nutrients are: 30 mg of sodium, a total of 14 grams of carbs, 9 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein, and 42 mg of Vitamin C.

I placed one tablespoon of the nibs in a little bowl and tasted some. First impression? YUUUUUUCKKK!!!!! Oh. My. Gawd. This stuff is bitter and...and... I just didn't like it at all. My friend tasted it next and made some gruesome faces (which she refused to let me photograph for the blog). We tried to like it- after all, it's supposed to be good for you. But the truth is, our first impression is that we cannot stand this stuff.

CONTROVERSY
I decided to do some investigation about this product. Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be the center of yet more controversy amongst raw foodists. Nature's First Law describes the cacao bean as the seed of a fruit, and describes its beneficial influence on mood and appetite. It downplays its stimulant properties in a section called "Stimulant or Superfood?" which led me to believe that there must be concerns about cacao's stimulating effects. Nature's First Law says that it is cooked cacao that has the stimulating effects that concern nutritionists, not cacao in its raw form.

So what does the other side say? I found several articles that are vehemently anti-raw cacao- or, more accurately, against the marketers of the product. Their most common concern is the claim by raw cacao promoters that raw cacao is truly raw. They claim that the fact that Nature's First Law's raw cacao nibs are peeled is proof that the beans/nuts have been roasted (cooked) and therefore have none of the enzymes that raw foodists are after in a raw diet. Another site shows that raw cacao is naturally white; its brown color comes from fermentation- another process whose effects on foods raw foodists disagree about. One website goes so far as to accuse a particular promoter of raw cacao of scamming the public.

MY TAKE
For me, the only true raw foods are the unprocessed raw fruits and vegetables I see in the produce section! As consumers we certainly can't trust the labels on processed foods; for example, cashews labeled "raw" are actually, according to some raw foodists, heated to temperatures that kill their enzymes. And the whole enzyme theory that is the basis of raw foodism itself is a point of controversy! There are nutritionists and scientists who say that enzymes from raw foods are not utilized by the body in the way raw food promoters claim they are, and that raw food diets are no more healthful than cooked food diets.

WHAT'S A RAW FOODIST TO DO?
I have come to realize that I am not into the whole enzyme theory. This disqualifies me as a classic raw foodist, I suppose, but I'm not trying to fit into any community. I'm just an average citizen trying to get healthy. If raw foods have a miraculously beneficial effect on me, I'll accept that these benefits have occured. But I'm not going to attribute them to enzymes, since that theory has not been proven. If others want to attribute such benefits to enzymes, that is fine for them- maybe the theory will be proven once and for all one day. I have nothing against the theory; I just don't see it as anything more than that- a theory. And whether or not the theory is fact doesn't change my experiences: I've had a tremendously easy weight loss so far, and the raw foods I've eaten (with the exception of raw cheese) have not produced any of the cravings or desires to binge that I'd always experienced before. I therefore have no plans to stop eating raw! And although the many controversies within the raw food community are a concern to me, I will still try new products and see if they work in my new raw lifestyle.

But I won't be eating raw cacao any time soon!



Here are sites I read while looking for information on this topic. I urge you to read them, and other resources, yourself so you can come to your own conclusions.

Jan. 22 UPDATE: I have added a publication by Nature's First Law because in it, they claim to not roast their cacao. The publication is listed in the Pro-Raw Cacao list below.

Pro-Raw cacao
David Wolfe's website
Rawfood.com
Nature's First Law, the marketers of the raw cacao nibs.

"Anti"- Raw Cacao
Rawbakery.com
fredericpatenaude.com

General Raw Cacao Information
Essentiallivingfoods.com

Cooked vs. raw:
Beyondveg.com

Jan 19, Day 19 Raw

Looks like I might be able to do a little grocery shopping tomorrow. It is certainly time to add variety to my diet. I've been stretching the hummus/taboule thing for DAYS. This cannot be healthy!

I've been doing a little internet searching for new foods to add to my repertoire. This is Dr. Mercola's list for the best vegetables to eat on a raw food diet:

Asparagus

Avocado

Beet greens

Bok Choy

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts

Cauliflower

Celery

Chicory

Chinese cabbage

Chives

Collard greens

Dandelion greens

Endive

Escarole

Fennel

Green and red cabbage

Kale

Kohlrabi

Lettuce: romaine, red leaf, green leaf

Mustard greens

Onions

Parsley

Peppers: red, green, yellow and hot

Tomatoes

Turnips

Spinach

Zucchini

I can't imagine eating raw brussels sprouts or asparagus but I'm willing to try raw zucchini and any of the green leafies. Dr. Joseph Mercola's website www.mercola.com is chock full of interesting health and nutrition information and well worth checking out. He is a skeptic, as am I, so I enjoy reading his articles.


TODAY'S BORING FOODS

Breakfast

Avocados, California (Haas), 0.2 fruit without skin and seeds
Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 1 cup
Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 4 tbsp
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp
Banana, fresh, 1 large (8" to 8-7/8" long)
Centrum with Lycopene, 1 serving
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1 serving

Lunch
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.2 fruit without skin and seeds
Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 0.25 cup
Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 4 tbsp
Taboule Salad, 5 tbsp

Dinner
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.2 fruit without skin and seeds
Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 8 tbsp
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

Snack
Trail mix made with:
Goji Berries, dried (Himalania), 0.5 oz
Pine Nuts, 1 tbsp
Raisins, 1 small box (1.5 oz)
Raw Trail Mix (Mauk Family Farms), 1 oz
Salt, 1 tsp

Calories: 1,282 Carbs 156 Fat 56 Protein 37

Raw Food Forums: Raw Food Talk.

There are a number of raw food discussion boards out there. My favorite is Raw Food talk because of its easy-to-comprehend interface. The discussions there have been friendly, although there are certainly many issues upon which members do not agree. I have always felt comfortable reading and posting to this forum. Below are some of the boards available at this site:

Welcome area (meet and greet)
Raw and Living Food Discussion (chat with others about the Raw and Living Food Diet)
Raw Recipes and Raw Food Preparation
Exercise and Fitness While Raw
Juicing, Sprouting, and Organic Gardening
Fasting (Juice fasting and water fasting advice)
Raw Food Events and Classifieds (raw food events, products, web sites and advertisements).
Raising Raw Kids
Personal Growth (Discussions of goal setting/achieving and any insights and growth gained through the raw food diet)

Alissa Cohen, with whom this site is associated, describes herself as an "internationally recognized writer, speaker and consultant on raw and living food" (from alissachohen.com). You can watch a video clip of her appearance on the Today show at We Like it Raw, another favorite site of mine.

If you are interested in looking at some of Alissa Cohen's raw recipes as presented by another raw foodist, you might want to visit Jennifer's site. Jennifer even includes pictures. Makes me want to hurry up and get that Saladacco so I can make "spaghetti" out of zucchini!

To get to Raw Food Talk, just click this link .

By the way, if you are unaware of what a Saladacco is, here is what it looks like (see below). They cost from $30 to $40, I understand. If any of you have one it would be great if you would leave comments about how you've used it and what you like/don't like about them.

Jan. 18 Day 18 Eating Raw

Running out of food makes you very creative, which can be a good thing. Yesterday I had tried to make a raw Waldorf salad using tahini for the dressing. Although It wasn't too bad, it still had the taste of a desperation meal. I tried again today by making a fruit salad for lunch using apple, mango (the smaller kind I don't like), grapes and some tangerine juice. I grated cinnamon over it. Today's fruit juice "dressing" was much better than yesterday's tahini-based one, but my brain still rebelled because my favorite fruit salads have berries, grapes, watermelon and large, juicy mango, not dry stuff like apples. When I first started eating the salad I was totally disinterested in it, but after two bites my tastebuds totally perked up. It's very strange when my tastebuds enjoy something that my mind rebels against! Maybe that was a sign that my body was benefitting from the the meal. Unfortunately, applea often give me a stomach ache, and that's what I'm suffering from right now.

I weighed myself this morning and discovered I've lost 20 lbs!!! This absolutely amazing to me. I've never lost so much weight in such a short amount of time. Not only that, but I've had none of the guilty feelings I used to have when trying to lose weight in the past. When losing weight in the past, I used to overeat the foods I really liked, and then a few days before weigh-in I would practically starve myself and work out extra hard in order to lose the weight I knew I had regained. The day of weigh-in- and often the day after- I would "treat" myself with fattening foods like hot fudge sundaes or fast food. The most extreme of my binge/starve routine caused me to gain 9 lbs in one week and then lose 9 lbs the following week. I really tortured myself in those days! Although I'm still facing challenges in getting used to a life of raw foods, those challenges don't involve shame, anxiety or depression. It's almost like a dream! Now, today is not my official weigh-in day, so we'll see what the true verdict is on Sunday. But I'm excited!!


TODAYS MEALS

BREAKFAST
Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree), 2 tbsp
Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 0.75 oz

LUNCH
Apples, fresh, 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) (approx 3 per lb)
Grapes, 1 cup, seedless
Mangos, 1 fruit without refuse
Tangerine Juice, 4 fl oz

DINNER
Taboule Salad, 2 tbsp
Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 0.5 oz
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.33 fruit without skin and seeds
Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 5 tbsp

SNACK
Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree), 1.5 tbsp
Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 0.75 oz
Pine nuts, 1 tbsp
Banana, 1 large

Calories 1,325 Carbs 177 Protein 47 Fat 30
1

Jan. 17- “How I Stayed Raw at School Today”

Ha- I didn’t have TIME to eat! That’s how I stayed raw. So the problem has not been solved. Class let out early, so I was able to get home before I died of hunger. I can see that for a day like today I may not be able to eat someting messy like trail mix or loud like an apple. I have very little time to get from one class to another A banana might work best.

TODAY’S FOODS

BREAKFAST
Banana, fresh, 1 large
Centrum with Lycopene, 1 serving
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1 serving
Cantaloupe, 1/4 melon, medium

LUNCH
Cantaloupe, 0.25 melon, medium (about 5″ dia)
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.75 fruit without skin and seeds
Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 1 cup
Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 1/2 cup
Taboule Salad, 8 tbsp

DINNER/SNACK
Apples, fresh, 1 large
Grapes, 15
Goji Berries, 1 tbsp
Tahini, 1 tbsp
Banana, fresh, 1 large (8″ to 8-7/8″ long)

Calories 1,282 Carbs 210 Fat 45 Protein 28

Raw Food Podcast, Anyone?

I’m not sure how many people I actually reach with this blog, but I’ve been interested in doing a podcast* about a raw food lifestyle and am wondering if those of you who stop by would be interested in such a podcast. My purpose is to both motivate myself and to provide helpful information to others in an enjoyable format. However, I don’t want to pursue this if there isn’t much need for it, so if any of you would listen to a raw food podcast please leave me a comment. Also let me know what topics you’d like to have covered. I plan to continue the blog regardless of whether I add a podcast.

*(For those of you who don’t know what a podcast is, it’s basically an audio file, generally in MP3 format. It can be an interview, a recording of a radio show, whatever. After downloading the file many people burn them onto CDs to listen to in their car or portable CD player, while some put them on MP3 players such as iPods. They can also just be left on the computer).

Jan. 17- How will I stay raw at school today?

I start back at the university today. I’ll be out all afternoon into the mid-evening and I’m a bit nervous. I have no money to buy food at school today, so I’ve decided eat “strategically”. I had fruit for breakfast (cantaloupe and banana with grated cinnamon). About 40 minutes before I leave I’ll have a hummus and taboule sandwich with a bit of extra hummus and avocado to fill me up. I’ll take a homemade trailmix of sprouted nuts, goji berries and raisins, plus an apple and a banana with me to keep me until 8pm. That should be fine, right? Wish me luck!

Jan. 16, Day 16 of raw foods

Wow- I’m really eating less than I thought I would! I’m feeling satisfied these past couple of days at a calorie range closer to 1200, which is the magic number I always kept in mind when trying to lose weight in the past. As I write this it is 9:15 pm and I’m having a snack of a 1/4 cantaloupe. It is SOOO good- this must be what food tastes like when you’re really, truly hungry. I’m used to eating whenever I feel like it, but I never really tasted my food. In fact, I often didn’t want to taste it after a while because it would simply be acknowledgement that I was overeating. It’s very different when you eat without guilt. I really taste the food now, and I don’t have to hurry through it.

Today I read a really interesting article by Chet Day, who has seemingly valid and sensible concerns about raw vegan diets. He talks about proven deficiencies in 100% raw vegan diets and advocates adding animal-based foods in order to make up for deficiencies in zinc, B12 and other minerals. I hadn’t thought about zinc, so I added that nutrient to Sparkpeople.com and sure enough, I’m WAY low on zinc on the days I don’t take my multivitamin. But what to do? I don’t do well on cheese, and yogurt will have the same binge-inducing effect, I fear. Eggs might be a good alternative. I could hard boil one and put it in my salad, or just eat it as a snack by itself. I agree with Chet Day when he downplays the importance of sticking to a 100% raw diet just to be able to say you are raw. Quality of health is much more important to me. You can read Chet Day’s articles at http://chetday.com/vegandietdangers.htm .

Before I list my meals for the day, I wanted to thank people for their kind comments and helpful suggestions. If anyone has particular topics they are interested in seeing in the blog, drop me a line. I’m all about knowledge (can’t help it- I love learning!) so I’m happy to look into topics and I’m not afraid to hear all sides of an issue. I believe in straight talk, honesty and practical advice that people can put to use, I don’t agree with a lot of stuff I’ve been reading about raw foodism, but I’m happy to look at where the information comes from and what the many controversies are all about.

On to today’s menu:

BREAKFAST

Banana, fresh, 1 extra large (9″ or longer)
Banana, fresh, 1 extra large (9″ or longer)

LUNCH
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 1/4 cup
Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf
Avocados, California (Haas), 2 oz

DINNER
Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf
Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams
Romaine Lettuce (salad), 4 inner leaf
Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 1 oz
Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average, 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Baby Carrots, raw, 2 medium
Garlic, 1 clove
Salt, 1 tsp
Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp
Onions, raw, 1 slice, large (1/4″ thick)
Pine Nuts, 1 tbsp
Goji Berries, dried (Himalania), 1 oz

SNACKS
Cantaloupe, 0.25 melon, medium
Centrum with Lycopene,
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 2

Calroies 1,186 carbs 188 fat 43 protein 34

My friend mentioned to me today that I eat hardly any greens at all. I didn’t really notice that, but she’s right. I definitely will be adding greens (spinach, especially) to my diet! That will help with my nutritional deficiencies.

Day 15, Starting Week 3 Eating Raw!

At the moment I’m basking in the lingering aroma and flavor of the garlic I grated into my hummus/taboule sandwich. MMMMMMMM. Its amazing how a meal that was getting boring can be renewed with garlic.

Today I decided that since I’m satsified at 1340 calories, I’ll just stop eating. I’m not going to try to eat more, even though my calorie range for a weight loss of 2 lbs per week is, according to Sparkpeople, around 1450 to 1750. I’ll just take things one day at a time. I’m sure some days I’ll want to eat more, and others I’ll be satisfied with less.

My Meals for the Day

BREAKFAST
Banana, fresh, 3 extra small (less than 6″ long)
Centrum with Lycopene, 1 serving
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 2 serving

LUNCH
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf
Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams
Olive Oil, 1 1tsp
Orange Juice, 6 fl oz
Pomegranates, 1 pomegranate (3-3/8″ dia)

DINNER
Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving
Hummus, 0.25 cup
Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf
Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams

SNACKS
Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree), 1 tbsp
Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 0.5 oz
Taboule Salad, 2 tbsp
1/4 medium sized cantaloupe (added at 11:30 pm!!)
CALORIES 1,391 CARBS 212 FAT 46 PROTEIN 41

Weekly Summary for Week Two

I’ve lost two more pounds, started taking vitamins, and seen some more changes.

WEEKLY SUMMARY

NOTE
I started taking Centrum and Calcium Citrate this week, but I don’t remember to do it daily. I’ve also decided to track nutrients that raw vegans/vegetarians are said to be low in: B12, calcium and Iron. I notice that I am very low in these nutrients unless I take a vitamin.(I was probably low in these things while eating the Standard American Diet, too).
NUTRIENTS

-Fat ranges from………… 57 to 73 grams

-Protein………………………49 to 63 gms

-Calcium……………………17% to 836% RDA (due to vitamins)

-Magnesium……………….7% to 100% RDA

-Folate…………………….. 5% to 71% RDA

-Carbs……………………….117g to 272g

-Cholesterol………………..29mg to 119mg

-Potassium………………….390mg to 2,912mg

-Calories…………………….1344 to 1979

-B12 ………………………….3.9% to 103%

-Iron………………………….8% to 146%

-Water………………………..average= 6 glasses a day.

WEIGHT LOSS

STARTED WEEK AT: 325

ENDED WEEK AT: 323

TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 18

CHANGES NOTICED THIS WEEK

I’m remembering to take vitamins (Centrum and Calcium Citrate) more often. On those days, my RDA for calcium, B12 and vitamins D and E are met are almost met. I’d like to improve my diet so that I get more vitamins and minerals from my foods.

I have been waking up earlier in the morning, ready to get out of bed. Instead of waking up between 9 and 10 a.m., I wake up refreshed as early as 5:30, even if I went to bed at midnight. Thus far I’ve chosen to stay in bed and listen to the radio, but I think I’ll start getting out of bed and celebrating the extra waking hours. This is great because it comes just in time for the new college semester when I need extra studying hours.

I had bad sinus pain this morning- this is not common for me.

My eyes have been watering less and less.

No more jaw pain!! I used to have terrible pain from all the sweets I was consuming. I’d take a sip of Pepsi or bite into some candy and could feel the sugar entering my molars and causing immediate, intense pain. Cold beverages did that to me as well- that initial shock of cold was horrible. But since January 1st I’ve had NO pain whatsoever! I know my cavities haven’t suddenly disappeared, but the quality of the foods I eat now are definitely different. SInce I’ve increased my fruit, however, I’ll have to really keep up on brushing my teeth and drinking water to rinse the sugars off. I hear of many fruitarians who report bad teeth due to the sugar content of fruit.

I still have the intestinal problem but it hasn’t been as bad as last week.

I have to mention that my lower back pain seems to have worsened. I don’t know if that’s my imagination or what. Guess I’d better see a doctor. I’ve been eschewing my usual Alleve, but it’s really bad some days- especially first thing in the morning. I just want to make sure it’s not something other than weight-related.

FOODS CONSUMED

Pretty much the same as last week. I’ve removed cauliflower, cabbage and jicama because I can’t stand them right now. I added sprouted bread, which I really like and which has not sparked any food cravings or desire to overeat at all. I’ve eaten the rest of my cheese and won’t buy any more for awhile since that does spark cravings. I’ve found that while I can eat sprouts, the seeds themselves are just too bitter for my palate.

January 14, Day 14 of raw foods

Today was another strange day for me because it is now a quarter to 11 pm and I’ve not made my minimum number of calories for the day. I’m hungry now, so I’m going to eat a very late meal. Don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I’m gonna do it anyway. I’ve found that 1/4 cup each of hummus and taboule fill me just fine rather than the 1/2 cup each I was having before, so that contributes to the lower number of calories I’ve been eating. Maybe (gasp) I’m actually getting used to eating LESS food! Still, I’m concerned with the amount of calories I eat because I don’t yet trust my body to guide me. One thing I know from past weight loss success is that if one eats too far below one’s caloric reuirements, weight loss can slow down considerably, and I don’t want that to happen.

Lately I’m really noticing how good non-raw foods smell. I’ve been overcome by the aromas of coffee, pizza and peanut butter in my own home. But I’m proud to say that I have not wanted to eat any of those foods- my family is not raw, but so far I’ve been all right with that.

TODAY’S FOOD

BREAKFAST

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 slices

Hummus, 1/4 cup

Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf

Avocados, California (Haas), 2 oz

Taboule Salad, 1/4 cup

LUNCH

Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 0.75 oz

Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 1 cup

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 4 tbsp

Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

DINNER

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 slices

Hummus, 1/4 cup

Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf

Taboule Salad, 1/4 cup

SNACKS

Cucumber 1/2 large

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 5 tbsp

Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

Raisins, (1.5 oz)

Pine Nuts, 1 tbsp

Raw Trail Mix (Mauk Family Farms), 1/2 oz

Goji Berries, dried (Himalania), 1/2oz

Total calories

CALORIES 1,508 CARBS191 FAT 57 PROTEIN 56

january 13, Day 13 of raw foods

I ate fruit for breakfast with the 80/10/10 plan in mind. This turned out to be very unfulfilling. Before I would have normally become hungry I felt I was starving (I’m talking the growlies AND a headache!). I ate a hummus sandwich for an early lunch and was satisfied enough to not even think of snacking. (I was also engaged in a game of Monopoly for a few hours, which might havea distracted me from eating). I ate dinner around 5pm. At that point I noticed that my calorie intake for the day was pretty low (barely over 1000) because I didn’t snack. Unfortunately, I had developed a stomach ache and felt my belly was full of air. I waited until 9:30 to eat a snack of 3 oz. of raw cheese (the last of it) and a slice of the sprouted bread. I’m done eating for the day, but still have water to drink.

I’m continuing to read about 80/10/10. It’s pretty extreme and controversial, mainly because of the very low fat. I will simply ease myself into a lower fat/lower carb plan- something like 60/10/30, first. I know for sure I don’t want to eat a lot of sweet fruits because I don’t enjoy it, so 70% carbs may not work at all (who’d a thunk I’d reject something sweet??). For sure an all-fruit breakfast didn’t work for me today. In an 1800 calorie day a 60/10/30 plan works out to 270 grams of carbs, 45 grams of protein and 60 grams of fat. I think I can handle that- it’s not too huge a change from what I’ve been doing.

TODAY’S FOOD

BREAKFAST 9:30 a.m.

Fruit salad: 1 apple, 1 small mango, 1 banana

LUNCH

I’m STARVING! It’s 11:48 and I’ve been starving for an hour but refused to accept it. Maybe it’s not hunger but somethinhg caused by the large amount of fruit I ate. I’m NOT having fruit for lunch. I’m having a humms/taboule sandwich with my new sprouted bread.

Two slices sprouted bread

1/4 cup hummus

1/3 cup taboule

2 oz avocado

1 slice romaine

DINNER

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving

Hummus, 0.25 cup

Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf

Avocados, California (Haas), 56 grams

SNACKS

Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Organic Valley, 3 oz

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 1 serving

Total calories

CALORIES 1,504 CARBS 191 FAT 62 PROTEIN58

Jan. 12, day 12 of raw foods

TODAY’S FOOD

NEW FOOD: SPROUTED BREAD

I was at Wild Oats today. I really like that place and am glad I discovered one near me! I found more raw nuts there than at Whole Foods, and more printed material (I love reading). I’m low on money so I only got one new thing: 7 grain sprouted bread made by Food 4 Life. I got it because of it’s high protein-to-fat content (only .5 grams of fat but 4 grams of protein). I am worried that eating bread will lead me back to processed-food cravings, but I don’t want to assume this without trying it. I’ve had two sandwiches today and must say that it was great to have my taboule and hummus in a different form! But the bread itself is a bit bland. I don’t think it will create any cravings.

BREAKFAST

Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Organic Valley, 2 oz

Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 0.5 oz

Small Banana 6″, 1 serving

LUNCH

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 serving

Avocados, California (Haas), 0.25 fruit without skin and seeds

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 4 tbsp

Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf

DINNER

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, 2 slices

Hummus, 1/4 c cup

Romaine Lettuce (salad), 1 inner leaf

Avocados, California (Haas), 2 oz

Taboule Salad, 4 tbsp

SNACKS

SNACKS

Banana, fresh, 1 small (6″ to 6-7/8″ long)

Mangos, 0.8 cup, sliced

Raw Cheddar Cheese, 2 oz

Celery, raw, 2 stalk, medium (7-1/2″ - 8″ long))

Total calories

CALORIES 1,601 CARBS 177 FAT 73 PROTEIN 64

January 12- I’m Motivated to Make Some Changes!

My Nutrition Lesson for Today

Today was quite a day of learning for me. First, I’ve decided to not buy any more raw cheese because I believe it keeps me wanting to eat even when I’m not really hungry (of course I’m using this as an excuse to eat up all the remaining cheese quickly!) Secondly, I’ve been doing more reading about nutrients and, despite my skepticism about the raw food information out there, some of the things I’m reading really appeal to me. Since I’m no expert, there’s no guarantee that the information that appeals to me is any better than the information that doesn’t! However, with so much opposing and incomplete information out there, I am just going to continue to trust my own common sense and my body.

Informative Site #1

In my continued quest to learn about calories, fat and protein intake, I stumbled across Dr. Douglas Graham’s website, which advocates that one eats 80% of your calories from carbs, 10% from protein and 10% from fats (.80-10-10 plan, or 8-1-1). If I eat 1800 calories a day, this would mean 357 grams of carbohydrates, mainly in the form of fruit. I would eat only 20 grams of fat, in the form of nuts, seeds and from fruit such as avocados. As for protein, I would only need 45 grams, and would get that from the fruit as well as from vegetables- mainly in the form of a large salad, which would also provide minerals such as calcium, sodium and magnesium. You can read about this plan (and other raw info) at http://www.foodnsport.com.

Informative Site #2

I’m not sure how such a menu would work for me. For one thing, fruit is more expensive than vegetables. For another, I don’t know that fruit would make me feel full enough. These concerns were addressed at another website which provided a personal account of one woman, now in her late 40s (and looking very healthy!) during her transition to raw foods. Reading her site, I gained more confidence in doing my own thing on this odyssey. Her site is Raw School: http://www.rawschool.com.

These sites have motivated me to make some changes: I’m going to transition towards lower amounts of fat in my diet, even though previously I wasn’t worried about a raw diet of 50% fats. I think I will also ease toward the 80-10-10 way of eating to see what it’s like.

If you visit these sites (or already know about them), I’d love to hear what you think of them.

jan. 11, day 11 of raw foods

I’ve still got the munchies! I even briefly thought about how great it would be to have some Pepsi. But I’m not feeling any desire to eat or drink anything that’s not part of my eating plan right now. However, I have made other decisions: I have decided not to look for raw hummus as long as the hummus I’m eating now is working for me. Same with the taboule; if I have problems finding quinoa to sprout, it won’t bother me to stay with bulgar. The more I read about raw food, the more I realize that I have to do what works for me and to not get caught up in labels. Calling myself a raw foodist implies that everything I eat is raw, but I’m really eating just mostly raw. I can’t say what percentage raw I eat because I don’t know what standards raw foodists use to label themselves, and I’m not really interested in fitting into a label.

It’s hard to not get caught up in labels like “vegetarian” and “vegan” and “raw foodist” when, instead of labeling our behavior, we label ourselves! Just now I rewrote some of my previous sentences because I realized I had said things such as, “what percentage raw I am ” instead of “what percentage raw I eat“. I can see why some raw foodists, vegetarians and vegans become strident; many of them identify with what they eat. They feel compelled to personally defend their way of eating because they are actually defending their own identities. This doesn’t apply to all people who commit to particular eating styles, but it certainly applies to many I’ve come across on the internet. For some raw foodists (and vegetarians and vegans) this way of eating is part of a spiritual endeavor, making it even more understandable why, for some, it is part of their identity. For me, because I’ve had food “issues” for much of my life, calling myself something based on my eating behavior doesn’t feel good, so I want to stay away from that. I’m sure I’ll lapse often (I haven’t read over my past posts to see how often I may have labeled myself), so it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over time.

Well, enough of my opinions on that topic! Here is what I’ve eaten so far. Oh- I remembered that during my day of munchies yesterday I had a mango close to midnight. I have therefore added that to today’s snacks. Today I purposely had a piece of fruit for breakfast, as I’d decided to do earlier. It worked fine today, although my snacking increased my calories this evening.

>BREAKFAST (around 9:45 a.m.)

1 banana

LUNCH

1/2 Avocado

Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 1 cup

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 1/2 c

Taboule Salad, 1/2 c

DINNER

1/2 Avocados, California

2 leaves romaine lettuce

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus 1/2 c

Taboule Salad, 1/2 c

SNACKS

Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Organic Valley, 1 oz

Apple

Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree), 1 tbsp

Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 1 oz

Goji Berries, dried (Himalania) 1/2 tbsp

Mango

Total calories

CALORIES 1,726 CARBS 213 FAT 73 PROTEIN 49